FCT police parades 43 suspected criminals in Abuja

Forty-three criminal suspects, ranging from culpable homicide, kidnapping, armed robbery, stealing, ‘one chance,’ illegal possession of firearms, and cultism, to carjacking, have been arrested by the Federal Capital Territory Police Command.

They were on Tuesday paraded by the police, 11 of whom were arrested over alleged involvement in ‘one chance’.

Haruna Garba, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, while speaking to newsmen explained that, “a total of 30 rounds of ammunition, five firearms, and three stolen vehicles, were recovered by the police.”;

Garba stated that on October 29, police operatives from Kabusa Division, acting on actionable intelligence, arrested one Obichukwu Elijah and Johnson Samuel who stole and conspired to sell a Toyota Sienna with Registration No. EPE 397 DP, property of one Friday Ogelenya.

He added that the suspects were apprehended while trying to sell off the said vehicle at the Gudu mechanic area of Apo.

Suspects confessed to their involvement in the crime and will be charged in court at the conclusion of the investigation.

According to him, on October 24, a report was made by one Faith James at the Trademore Division, that she boarded a green Peugeot vehicle with Reg. No. CK 202 GWA from ACO Estate junction heading to Trademore, but was robbed of her belongings, which included a cash sum of N110,000 by a purported commercial vehicle driver and her colleagues who pretended to be genuine passengers.

He stressed that the police operatives from the division swung into action, trailed and arrested one Osai Donatus with the same vehicle in the process of committing the same act on another innocent passenger, saying that the suspect confessed to his involvement in the crime and is assisting the police to apprehend his other gang members at large.

The CP further revealed that operatives from the Asokoro Division on 30th October, while on routine patrol along the DSS Quarters, Asokoro observed a Vento Volkswagen car with Reg. No. APP 307 GS, blue in colour moving in a suspicious manner.

He explained that the police operatives intercepted the vehicle opposite Niger Barracks and arrested a five-man gang, AKA “Open and Close”; namely; Lekan Adebayo (gang leader), Abraham Umukoro, Joseph Asobei, Blessing Gabriel (female) and Joy Livinus (female).

Garba added that during interrogation, suspects confessed to being a one-chance syndicate who specialised in carefully identifying, and picking up their victims, taking them to an isolated area, to rob them of their valuables, and drop them off at isolated locations, pointing out that while searching the vehicle, police operatives discovered four bundles of wrapped paper cut to money size, four car keys and other valuables.

He added that there was a report from one Bright Ezekiel on 27th November, that she and her friend one Rose Augustine boarded a vehicle from Mogadishu Cantonment to Kubwa and were taken to an unknown destination where the sum of N482,000.00 and N387,500.00 respectively were transferred from their account by suspected one chance robbers.

On receipt of the report, he said police operatives from Asokoro Division swung into action and with the help of the Nigeria Army Intelligence Unit, five suspects namely: Ogbonna Nwovu, Ndugo Ikechukwu, Amaechi Emezi, Felicia Udoh and Adekunle Tayo were arrested, stressing that their operational vehicle, V/wagen Wagon taxi, with Reg. No. AA 958 RYM blue in colour was recovered.